Hydrothermal synthesis of Bi@Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Bi@Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanosheets with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route, in which ammonium bismuth citrate C₆H₁₀BiNO₈ was used as the bismuth source and K₂Ti₆O₁₃ nanofibers as the titanium sources. In general, the preferential adsorption of (C₆H₁₀NO₈)³⁻ ions on the (010) planes result in the formation of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanosheets. Moreover, when the hydrothermal treatment time was long enough, the precursors and uncrystallized species in the solution got exhausted, and the (Bi₂O₂)²⁺ slabs underwent repeated exfoliation and recrystallization, leaving the unstable Bi ions deposited on the surfaces of the Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanosheets. Based on the experimental results, the highly (010) exposed single-crystalline Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanosheets with deposited Bi possess high visible-light photodegradation activities for RhB.